Radial cylinder engine



Dec. 7 1926.

A. E. JONES I RADIAL CYLINDER ENGINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 19 24 Dec. 7 1926.

A. E. JONES RADIAL CYLINDER ENGINE F d M ch 20, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 7, 1926.

ALBERT EDWARD JONES, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE WHITEHEAD TORPEDO COMPANY LIMITED, OF WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND.

RADIAL CYLINDER ENGINE.

Application filed March 20, 1924', Serial No. 700,644, and in Great Britain December 21, 1923.

This invention relates to radial cylinder engines particularly the compressed air engines of automobile torpedoes.

According to the invention the engine comprises two series of radial cylinders (four in each series for example) arranged in separate planes transverse to the axis of the crank shaft and so disposed that the valve casings or chests of each of the two 10 series of cylinders are situated in the spaces between the cylinders of the other series.

In this manner a particularly compact engine is provided as its overall length does not materially exceed that of an engine having half the number of cylinders. It will be understood that a developed plan of the improved engine shows the cylinders ar ranged in staggered formation and the valve casings arranged in similar formation with the outer parts of the valve casings projecting only slightly, if at all, beyond the outer portions of the cylinders.

The pistons working in the two series of cylinders operate on two cranks set at 180 apart; these cranks are preferably made integral with each other and with the balanced crank webs and in this case the usual segmental crank pin bearings or brassesengaging in lateral recesses formed in the crank checks are divided in a plane transverse to the axis of the crank shaft and after beingslipped into position one half at a time, are connected together by bolts or screws passing through projections or V studs on the segmental bearings or brasses and through tubular connecting rod ends in which these projections or studs fit.

The valves are preferabl of the poppet type and may be actuated y cams formed on the crank webs, the valves of one series of cylinders being actuated by a cam on the web of the crank pin appertaining to the other series and the valvesof the latter series being actuated by a cam on the web of the crank pin appertaining to the firstmentioned series. Alternatively the movement of each of the pistons is utilized for operating, through a lever (one for each cylinder), the valve of the cylinder immediately behind that to which the piston relates, the ends of the said levers'remote from the ends that co-operate with the valve stems being acted upon, in order to open the valves,'by the pistons or the gudgeon pins at a predetermined position of each piston during its outward movement from the cylinder. Ordinarily with such an arrangement any variation of the lead will produce a variation of the point of cut off; this is not always desired and in these circumstances the gudgeon pins may be recessed or slotted in such a manner that at a predetermined point in the outward movements of the pistons the recesses or slots come opposite bent ends of the levers and permit the valves to close, the co-operation of the unrecessed or unslotted portions of the gudgeon pins with the said bent ends having effected the opening of the valves. In this manner the closing of the valves can be made to take place at any predetermined point irrespective of the point of opening.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and'read-ily carried into effect, the same will be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an end elevation, with the upper part in section on the line 1, 1 of Figure 2, of a compressed air engine constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a section taken approximately on the line 2, 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a developed plan of the cylinders and valve casings.v I Figure 4 is a view similar to the upper part of Figure 1 showing an alternative arrangement for operating the valves, and

Figure 5 isv a view showin another arrangement for operating the va ves.

A, A, A, A arethe four cylinders of one series, A A A A are the valve casings or chests appertaining to these cylinders and a are the valves in these casings. B, B, B, B, are the four cylinders of the other series, B B ,B B are the valve casings or chests appertaining to the latter cylinders and b are the valves in the latter casings. It will be observed from Figure 3 that the valvecasings of each of first series of cylinders and situated in the spaces between the cylinders of the second series, a series of valve casings appertaining to the second series of cylinders and situated in the spaces between the cylinders of the first series, poppet valves in said valve casings, a cam on the Web of the crank pin cam on the Web of the crank pin appertain- 10 ing to the second series of cylinders for lifting the first series of valves.

ALBERT EDWARD JONES. 

